Abe Lincoln's Watch

Abraham
Lincoln’s Pocket Watch Discovered to be Engraved

Since
the mid 1850’s, a rumor has circulated that the sixteenth President of the United
States and Civil Rights leader, Abraham Lincoln’s personal pocket watch was
engraved with a secret message. Apparantly, Jonathan Dillon, and Irish
immigrant watchmaker, was working on the watch as the Civil War broke out in South Carolina. Well,
last week, this was proven to be true as the museum’s volunteer watchmaker
George Thomas , and Doug Styles, who happens to be the great-great grandson of
Jonathan Dillon, carefully opened the pocket watch in front of media and fellow
museum workers. The inscription read:

Jonathan Dillon
April 13-1861
Fort Sumpter [sic] was attacked
by the rebels on the above
date J Dillon
April 13-1861
Washington
thank God we have a government
Jonth Dillon

Here
is a picture released by the National Museum of American History:

Amazingly, Brent D. Glass, Director of the National
Museum of American History claims that Lincoln
was not aware of the message on the pocket watch at all. The watch is said to
be purchased by Lincoln from a Springfiled, Illinois jeweler, George Chatterton, and was originally manufactured
in Liverpool, England. The watch is back on
display as part of the exhibit: